As I Hold You Tonight
by ILuvRonniekins
Summary: A rainy mid-summer day at Number 12, Ron distracts Hermione into being normal, and Hermione distracts Ron into conquering his fears. Ron learns to listen to his heart and stop fighting with his feelings. RH FLUFF GALORE! PLEASE RR! POST OOTP!


As I Hold You Tonight  
  
A/N: This is probably the longest fluff attack I have ever been on! It started about a week ago and I have written a little every day! Anyway! I hope you love it! I know I love it! Please Review!!! And Enjoy! Thank you!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the great and powerful JK Rowling! I do however own the plot and the song lyrics belong to me also, seeing as I know no wizard songs, and therefore had to make one up!  
  
As I Hold You Tonight  
  
It was mid July at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and a particularly nasty storm had been brewing for the past couple of days. It had finally struck early that morning, causing an angry redhead to leap from bed at the first clap of thunder. He had been warily perched in an overstuffed chair in the parlor for the past few hours. Occasionally, he would shift his gaze to the chessboard in the corner, but for the most part he was in deep thought.  
  
He had been sitting and staring into oblivion for about an hour or two when a sleepy Hermione, adorned in bathrobe and slippers, entered the room. She sat down on the couch opposite him and pulled out a giant book, some parchment and a quill. He just stared at her like she was a maniac.  
  
'What kind of dunderhead works on homework in the middle of summer holiday. and at nine in the morning,' Ron thought to himself.  
  
'One particularly clever witch who you happen to fancy.dunderhead' the other half of him answered.  
  
'Did I just answer my own question? And where did that come from?' he thought. This, in general would have been a very stupid and pointless question to ask anyone who knew the two, but unfortunately was very important to the only one who hadn't yet figured out that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together, Ron himself.  
  
It wasn't long before Hermione felt Ron's hardened gaze on the top of her head. She looked up and stared at him skeptically before breaking the silence.  
  
"What?" she asked in an exasperated tone. as if she didn't know the answer.  
  
" You're an idiot Hermione, you really are! Here you are in the middle of summer, when you are supposed to be living it up like a normal teenager, doing . of all things. homework!" he said as he stood. He walked over and sat beside her on the couch to get a better look at the assignment she was working on.  
  
"And Potions no less! Really, couldn't it at least be History of Magic, or even Care of Magical Creatures? Heck, I'd touch a thousand Acromantula's before voluntarily working on Potions!" He snorted.  
  
" Well, for your information, Ron, this happens to be the last foot of the last assignment we have this summer. After this, I'm done. and then I can, as you so carefully put it " live it up like a normal teenager"," she retorted before dropping her eyes back to her parchment.  
  
Ron just stared at the top of her bushy head while she worked.  
  
'She is probably the only person I know who can make an oversized bathrobe and worn out bunny slippers look attractive' He thought. He shook his head at the thought. did he really think Hermione was attractive? He came to the conclusion that he had probably thought she was attractive since the first moment he had realized she was a girl, not that he had ever thought she was a guy, but for some reason he never had seen her in the female light. He wanted to slap himself for the way he had acted that night, "Hermione, you're a girl!" honestly, what was he. stupid? Of course she was a girl!  
  
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a heavy book closing. He looked sideways the see Hermione grinning.  
  
"Well, all done here! For now, I really should be studying all that I can, the N.E.W.T's are next year and I'm sure all of this stuff will be particularly useful at some point or another along the way. And it probably wouldn't hurt to brush up on Runes, after the mistake I made last year I wouldn't want to ruin my score." She babbled.  
  
Ron looked at her with his jaw hanging. He couldn't believe his ears, was she seriously talking about studying for tests that were more than a year away? He closed his gaping mouth, grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her gently.  
  
"Hermione! Are you crazy? Snap out of it! N.E.W.T's are in seventh year, we haven't even made it to our sixth yet! You can't seriously think that we need to start studying now!" He scolded.  
  
She looked down at her feet before her whole body started shaking with silent giggles. When she looked back up her face was red and she had tears of laughter threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes.  
  
" Oh Ron! I got you good! I actually had you going there for a minute! You should have seen the look on your face. you looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air! Oh Merlin did I get you! " He laughed.  
  
Ron tried to maintain his angry face but it quickly melted away when he saw Hermione clutching her side, howling in laughter. He joined her and they both laughed until they cried. But as soon as the noise in the room had come, it settled once again into silence. They just sat on the couch wrestling with their thoughts. It had been about ten minutes time when Hermione grabbed a particularly thick novel and began to flip its pages. Ron decided that he would let her read in peace, after all it wasn't schoolwork! He picked up a small notebook and a pencil, and made his way back to the chair. He started devising Quidditch plays for the next season that he would hand over to the year's captain. His brow furrowed as he scratched away at the paper. He was in such deep concentration that he was startled when a soft melody drifted across the room. He looked up to find Hermione standing at the foot of a large bookshelf, examining the contents, and gently swaying to the music. She must not have found anything to her liking because she turned and began to pace the room.  
  
Ron went back to his plays, occasionally looking up when a shadow passed over his paper. The wireless was still issuing lighthearted music and along with the soft tinkling of rain on the roof, was causing Ron to feel a little subdued and sleepy. He nodded his head against his shoulder and was about to drift off to sleep when a small hand closed around his wrist, yanking him up out of the chair.  
  
Hermione had dragged him to the middle of the room before dropping his hand and grinning up into his face.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked confusedly.  
  
"Well, I noticed that you were nodding off there for a minute, and thought that you might fancy a dance . you know to wake you up! " She answered, grinning broadly.  
  
At this point in the conversation, he threw his hands up at either side of himself and began to back away from Hermione.  
  
"Oh no Hermione! You see, I don't dance! You had to have seen me at the Yule ball!" He explained.  
  
"Yes, you didn't dance a lick!" she exclaimed before adopting a more serious tone. "So, you DON'T dance? Or you CAN'T dance?" she asked as she waggled her eyebrows at him.  
  
He mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't hear.  
  
"What's that Ron?" she asked, trying to hold back a laugh.  
  
"Ican'tdance" he said. He looked down at he face the. Outwardly it was serious and perplexed, but one look into her eyes gave her away. she was laughing at him, she was actually laughing at him, and enjoying it!  
  
"One more time Ron, but slow it down this time!" she ordered.  
  
"I.Can't..Dance!" He yelled, "There! Are you happy now! I can't dance! Is that what you wanted from me?" He finished.  
  
"And don't you act like you aren't enjoying this!" he added quickly when he saw a shadow of a grin cross her face.  
  
"Well Ron, I can teach you! What better time to learn than on a rainy day when we have nothing better to do!" She said excitedly.  
  
"Hmm." Ron began sarcastically, putting a finger to his temple, "I've got something better to do on a rainy day like this and it includes not making a fool of myself in front of my best friend!"  
  
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pleading look.  
  
"Ron, face it. you'll have to dance sometime in your life and to do that you'll have to learn! And you are going to learn! Today, as a matter of fact. you don't have a choice!" She said as she took his left hand in her right.  
  
Ron obviously decided to let Hermione have her fun, because he just stared lazily over her head with slumped shoulders.  
  
'Why am I suddenly her plaything, you'd think she just wants blackmail on me or something!' He thought to himself  
  
'Oh come on Ron old boy, it can't be all that bad now can it? What, with the rain and the music and blimey she IS holding your hand!' his seemingly more knowledgeable half told him.  
  
"Oh all right Hermione, I don't know why I'm doing this but, press on," he said.  
  
Hermione grinned.  
  
"Well," she began, "I don't know much, just what I learned in the etiquette classes that I had to take," she said.  
  
Ron's eyebrow shot up.  
  
"You took etiquette classes. hmm fancy that!" he laughed.  
  
"Oh hush!" she said as she playfully swatted his free arm, "I suppose you know where your hands go?" she asked.  
  
" Well after watching everyone at that bloody ball I guess I might." He answered while bringing his right hand around to rest on her left shoulder blade.  
  
"Good, and Ron . don't curse," she reprimanded, "Okay, I guess we'll start with a waltz, the count is 1, 2, 3, I guess I'll lead until you get the hang of it," she instructed as they began turning in slow circles to her soft count.  
  
"Ow!" she exclaimed when Ron stumbled onto her foot.  
  
"Er. sorry!" he apologized, "Can we move on. I don't think I like this one," he said, afraid that he would accidentally step on her again.  
  
"Hmm, how about a foxtrot?" she inquired.  
  
"Foxtrot? Sounds to complicated! Next please!" he joked.  
  
She glared at him and racked her brain for other dances that she had learned.  
  
Half an hour had passed and they had tried a cha-cha, a tango, and a two- step, but Ron had failed miserably at all.  
  
'Merlin Ron! You're making out worse than Neville! I'd be surprised if Hermione's big toe is still intact after that screw up in the cha-cha.' He thought to himself.  
  
Hermione had pulled away and was now staring up at him.  
  
"Er. Ron," she began gently, "I think we should move on to just dancing, no technicalities, just moving to the music. do you think you can manage that?" she added with a smirk.  
  
"What, you haven't given up on me?" He asked while shaking his arms vigorously around his body.  
  
"No. Hey Ron watch it, what's wrong anyway?" she asked as she dodged a freckled arm.  
  
"They're asleep and my shoulders hurt, you know I don't have good posture, and standing like that for so bloody long.. well, it hurts!" he whined.  
  
"Ron, don't curse! And you'll be fine! It can't be that bad!" she said. She quickly grabbed him up again, placing her right hand in his left and laying her left hand delicately on his shoulder.  
  
"You lead now. just do whatever. sway, turn, twirl. whatever's your fancy!" she laughed.  
  
Ron slumped his shoulders and rocked from foot to foot. His left arm was throbbing from holding it up for so long so he dropped it to one side, still holding Hermione's back gingerly in his other.  
  
"Ron, dance posture! Remember the frame!" she scolded, "You won't be the most charming gentleman at the ball if you're all slumped over like that!"  
  
"Hermione, isn't there something else I can do with this arm besides holding it at a perfect ninety degree angle?" he whined.  
  
"Hmm, not that I know of," she said quickly, but he noticed a slight blush creep across her nose as she said it.  
  
He replaced his hand in hers and continued to dance stiffly. So far so good, he hadn't yet stepped on her feet. The throbbing in his arm continued to worsen, not that it was simply unbearable, just uncomfortable.  
  
'Hey! If it hurts that bad don't hold it that way!' His better half told him.  
  
' Oh and what do you propose I do with it then?' he asked himself.  
  
' At the risk of sounding like that evil toad, hem hem, she does have a waist that you could easily wrap your arms around, unless Ickle Ronniekins is too embarrassed to do that!' his brain retorted.  
  
'You heard her! " Remember the frame Ron," Plus she might murder me if I did that!'  
  
'Yeah, but wouldn't you rather have died and held her close enough to count her eyelashes, than died a wimpy git?'  
  
'I don't know who you are, or where you have suddenly come or what the bloody hell you are doing to me, but I wish you'd go away!' Ron screamed at himself.  
  
'I'm your heart Ron, and I showed up as soon as she showed up today, because you love her. and you know it. in fact you're practically the last person to figure that out, everyone else has known for ages! Now, dance with her you stupid prat before I take over completely. and that's never good!'  
  
Ron decided to stop arguing with himself and listen to his "heart". He dropped both arms to her waist and pulled her close, praying to God that he could refrain from stepping on her toes. As he pulled her in he felt her gasp slightly. One hand still rested on his shoulder, but the other hung limply at her side. He chanced a glance into her face and what he saw there shocked him. There was surprise in it, but her eyes were full of awe and wonder. they were throwing so many emotions his way. It was almost as if she had been waiting for him to draw her nearer, but didn't think he actually would. He stared down into her cinnamon orbs and their movement became almost nonexistent. It was at this moment that the words of the slow ballad issuing from the wireless reached his ears.  
  
Tell me those words,  
  
That I long to hear,  
  
Whisper the truth,  
  
Settle my fears,  
  
As I hold you tonight,  
  
The world has stopped spinning,  
  
My darkness is light,  
  
As I hold you tonight.  
  
Ron had started up the slight rocking from foot to foot again. He felt something snake around his neck and he looked down to find Hermione leaning into him, her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers as they gently swayed to the music. The song eventually faded and was replaced with a slightly upbeat tune, but they kept dancing to the beat as if it still existed. He felt Hermione sigh in his arms and she tightened her grip around his neck. He pulled away just enough to look into her eyes, and he smiled. This was the happiest he'd been in a long time. She smiled back and he felt her fingers twirling his hair at the back of his head.  
  
The moment felt right as they were staring deep in each other's eyes and he released her waist with one hand. He brought it up and gently cupped her cheek as he leaned down and met her lips with his. She was slightly shocked at first and she strained against his lips before finally giving into their softness. It was a gentle kiss, but it fit them both nicely. A little apprehensive but underneath it was passionate. When they broke apart Ron pulled her closer and held her protectively to him.  
  
Hermione reached up and pulled his head down to her level and gently whispered in his ear.  
  
"I love you Ron."  
  
The words echoed in his brain, ringing throughout his whole being. Words that had been held under the surface for so long, longing to come up for air. He realized that this is where he truly wanted to be with her. Not bickering, not fighting, and not holding her awkwardly at arm's length, but here, swaying to a long forgotten song and holding her so close he could count her eyelashes, and absorb that essence that was Hermione.  
  
He leaned down and captured her again, letting her whisper guide him in his plight.  
  
He truly loved her. He would always love her, he didn't know how something that felt this right, could be wrong. And it wasn't  
  
As they parted from their second sweet kiss Ron marveled at how sometimes, no matter how apt you are in strategy or how focused on reason you are it is good to listen to you heart and enjoy the dance.  
  
Tell me those words,  
  
That I long to hear,  
  
Whisper the truth,  
  
Settle my fears,  
  
As I hold you tonight,  
  
The world has stopped spinning,  
  
My darkness is light,  
  
As I hold you tonight.  
  
~FIN~  
  
A/N: Okay. How did you like it??? Please Review. I will send you all double fudge brownies.. Assuming I knew your addresses! Ok well you get my drift right? Please review!! I will love ya love ya love ya if you do ;) 


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